Galatians 2:16-20; Mark 8:34-9:1
Peter was in precisely such
a state when he tried to explain to Christ that dying on the Cross had nothing
to do with being the Messiah. That is
when the Lord famously said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are
not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” That is the context for today’s gospel
passage as Christ teaches that following Him is not a way to gain anything at
all according to the standards of this world, but a calling to offer ourselves without
reservation, no matter the cost.
The
calling to take up our crosses stands in stark contrast to the persistent
temptation to try to use religion to exalt ourselves in our own minds. Some try to use the Cross to support their
preconceived notions about political and cultural agendas as they identify their
favored type of earthly kingdom with our Lord’s heavenly reign. Others try to use the Cross to justify their own
religious or moral superiority over their family members, friends, or neighbors. To do any of those things is to be ashamed of
our Crucified Lord and His words because it is nothing short of blasphemous to corrupt
the great sign of our salvation into an instrument for serving our self-centered
desires for earthly glory. Quite to the contrary, our Lord’s Cross calls us to
turn away from addiction to gratifying our passions as we offer ourselves in
union with His great Self-Offering for the salvation of the world.
In our epistle reading from Galatians, Saint
Paul opposes fellow Jewish Christians who relied too much on their own ability
to obey the Old Testament law and would have required the same of Gentile
converts. Refusing to trust in his own ability
to obey religious rules, he writes that, “I have been crucified with
Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me,
and gave Himself up for me.” Paul took
up his cross by enduring many struggles and difficulties out of faithfulness to
the Lord, ultimately dying for him as a martyr. He wrote to the Colossians that “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you,
and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the
sake of His body, which is the church.” (Col. 1:24)
There is
obviously nothing deficient in our Lord’s great Self-Offering. All that is lacking is our taking up our own
crosses in obedience to the Lord’s calling to deny ourselves and follow Him.
Because of our own passions and the brokenness of our world of corruption, the
struggle for faithfulness inevitably requires suffering, but not as though pain
were somehow pleasing to God in and of itself.
Such suffering results from the inevitable tension we experience in
embracing the struggle to offer ourselves fully to Christ. There is so much
within each of us that does not want to do that. Truly taking up our crosses
means fighting the difficult battle of confronting our own personal brokenness each
day as we reject thoughts, feelings, and habits that would keep us focused on serving
ourselves and the false gods of this world.
Christ prayed the night before His crucifixion, “Father, if You
are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done.”
(Luke 22:42) He ascended the Cross in free obedience, and no one forces us to
take up our crosses either. Many
problems and pains come upon us without our asking for them in this life, even
to the point of death, and it is so easy to refuse to suffer in a spiritually
health way. As Job’s wife suggested, we can “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) in response
to frustrations and disappointments. We can
refuse to offer our wounds to Christ for healing by ignoring them or convincing
ourselves that we are still better off spiritually than the people we like to
condemn. Doing so will simply fuel our
passions, blind us with spiritual pride, and corrupt our relationships with
others.
Since freedom is
an intrinsic dimension of being in God’s image, no one can make us take up our
crosses. Only we can unite ourselves to Christ in His Great Self-Offering for
the salvation of the world. Regardless of the circumstances, we have the freedom
to refuse to fall into despair, for any instance of suffering provides an
opportunity to purify the desires of our hearts as we learn to entrust
ourselves more fully to the Lord. Difficulties
by their nature present challenges to which we may respond in a Christlike way
or according to our passions. He offered
up Himself fully upon the Cross and refused to respond in kind to those who
hated and rejected Him. Likewise, we may
unite ourselves to Him in every dimension and circumstance of our lives,
including those in which we are sorely tempted not to respond as He did. Illness,
broken relationships with others, worries about the future, regrets about the
past, crushed hopes, and even the worst losses imaginable all present
opportunities to grow in “love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Saint Paul wrote that “those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires.” (Gal. 5:22-24)
Our self-centered and distorted desires usually
rear their ugly heads quickly when we face trying circumstances. If you are like me, you sometimes react like Jonah
when the vine that gave him shade was eaten by a worm. That was a very small thing, but Jonah became
so angry that he literally wished he would die. (Jonah 4:5-11) Other
times we face circumstances so grave that must struggle mightily not to fall
into despair about life itself. Whether
in matters small or great, none of us lacks the opportunity to take up our
crosses daily as we struggle to find healing for our souls.
Doing so usually
does not require anything particularly dramatic or extraordinary. It is normally a matter of focusing on the
basic disciplines of the Christian life, such as refusing to accept sinful
thoughts into our hearts, forgiving those who have wronged us, and trusting
that nothing “will be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:39)
The more that we open our souls to the Lord’s healing strength through prayer,
repentance, and serving our neighbors, the less time and energy we will have
for stirring up and embracing the impassioned thoughts that lead to sinful
actions. The less that we cultivate worry,
fear, and resentment, the more we will be able to pray to God from our hearts
to grant what is best for all concerned in even the most broken circumstances
of our lives. We must follow the Apostle’s teaching, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians
4:6-7) This is the path for gaining the strength to take up our crosses, deny ourselves,
and follow Christ.
To do so, we must choose to embrace the struggle of dying to our vain illusions about ourselves, other people, and our world. Our hope is neither in perfection acquired by our own willpower nor in our ability to dominate anyone else, but in the gracious mercy of the One Who offered up Himself for our salvation purely out of love. Through the Cross, He has brought life in the midst of death, light in the midst of darkness, and joy in the midst of despair. We will receive His healing as we persistently offer ourselves to Him in humble faith, no matter what challenges, pains, or disappointments life may bring us. That is how we may die to the corrupting power of sin and enter into the blessedness of His Kingdom. The only way to truly elevate the Holy Cross is by denying ourselves and taking up our own crosses to follow the Savior each day of our lives. That is how we show that we are not ashamed of Him and His Cross, which remains a weapon of peace, a trophy invincible, and the great sign of our salvation.